Gaudi’s Barcelona

I had the Gaudi free walking tour booked for 1100 which gave me enough time for some exploration beforehand.  First up was Basilica Santa Maria del Mar which was stunning with its very leaping Gothic architecture despite being very stark (not ornate).

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As the market was closed during the weekend, I had been holding out for a visit.  It didn’t disappoint with lots of fresh and cut fruit, fresh produce, seafood and some ready-to-eat stuff.

I wanted some fruit salad but it was far better to get a combo with a smoothie and an empanada for EUR5.  So I overate while waiting for my Gaudi tour to commence at Placa Real.

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The walking tour took us to a few of Gaudi’s famous houses (with some metro rides in between).  His imagination and attention to detail for all the contorted shapes is quite amazing.  We finished at the Sagrada Familia around 1400 but my prebooked slot for entering wasn’t until 1515, so I grabbed a good EUR10 set meal nearby.

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Upon entering, I had a ticket to go up the Nativity Tower (original completed by Gaudi).  To be honest, there was nothing much to admire inside.  We were taken up by lift and came down by stairs through a combination of the towers.

The Sagrada Famiia’s interior had been completed since my first visit 25 years ago.  Instead of just contorted shapes, there were a lot of fluted and complex lines.  One can see and appreciate these lines but how Gaudi drew and conveyed them for eventual build was beyond me (there’s abit of artistic license taken by those who completed the church on his behalf I’m sure).

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I metro’ed back to the hotel for a rest before a tapa and sangria dinner and bed.

Oh, something I learnt on the Gaudi tour is that Chupa Chups is not just Spanish but Catalonian.  And the logo was designed by Salvador Dali!